Sky Larkin is an English indie rock band from
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
,
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...
, England, who formed in 2005.
Early history
In common with many bands from Leeds, Sky Larkin released two singles on the Leeds-based label
Dance To The Radio
Dance To The Radio is a British independent record label, based in Leeds, England.
History
It was named after the refrain of the Joy Division song " Transmission". The label launched with the release of a compilation album 'Dance To The Rad ...
. Songs of theirs appeared on Dance To The Radio compilation albums 'Something I Learned Today' and 'Out Of The Woods And Trees', the former featuring 'Summit' and the latter featuring the
Napoleon IIIrd remix of 'Keepsakes' In both 2006 and 2007 they appeared on the unsigned stage at the
Leeds Festival
The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. The Reading Festiv ...
. During this time they would play around the UK on bills with the likes of
Los Campesinos!
Los Campesinos! are a seven-piece indie pop band from Cardiff, Wales, formed in early 2006 at Cardiff University. Though the band formed in Wales, none of the members are Welsh people, Welsh. The band has gone through several lineup changes dur ...
,
Nosferatu D2,
Johnny Foreigner
Johnny Foreigner are an indie rock four-piece from Birmingham, UK, consisting of guitarist and lead vocalist Alexei Berrow, bassist and vocalist Kelly Parker (née Southern), drummer Junior Elvis Washington Laidley, and guitarist and visual ar ...
,
Wild Beasts
Wild Beasts were an English indie rock band, formed in 2002 in Kendal. They released their first single, "Brave Bulging Buoyant Clairvoyants", on Bad Sneakers Records in November 2006, and subsequently signed to Domino Records. They have rele ...
and others.
In 2008 they released the 'Swit Swoo' EP digitally as a covers collection. Amongst those included was 'I Was A Teenage Hand Model' originally by
Queens Of The Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age (commonly abbreviated QOTSA) is an American rock band formed in 1996 in Palm Desert, California. The band was founded by vocalist and guitarist Josh Homme, who has been the only constant member throughout multiple line- ...
and the
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...
song 'Because The Night' alongside the more eclectic choice of
Jake Thackray
John Philip "Jake" Thackray (27 February 1938 – 24 December 2002) was an English singer-songwriter, poet, humourist and journalist. Best known in the late 1960s and early 1970s for his topical comedy songs performed on British television, hi ...
's "Lah-di-dah"
The album was recorded in
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
in spring 2008 with
Sleater-Kinney
Sleater-Kinney ( ) is an American rock band that formed in Olympia, Washington, in 1994. The band's current lineup features Corin Tucker (vocals and guitar) and Carrie Brownstein (guitar and vocals), following the departure of longtime member ...
and
Death Cab For Cutie
Death Cab for Cutie is an American rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington, in 1997. The band is currently composed of Ben Gibbard (vocals, guitar, piano), Nick Harmer (bass), Dave Depper (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Zac Rae (keyboar ...
producer
John Goodmanson
John Goodmanson (born 1968) is an American recording engineer and indie rock record producer. He is best known for producing multiple albums by Bikini Kill, Blonde Redhead, Death Cab for Cutie, Los Campesinos!, and Sleater-Kinney.
Selected di ...
.
The band signed to record label Wichita in 2008, and released their debut single on this new label, titled 'Fossil, I', on 20 October 2008. There was an accompanying video for the single which enjoyed success on MTV2 and can be viewed on Youtube.com.
Their debut album
The Golden Spike
''The Golden Spike'' is the debut album by English band Sky Larkin
Sky Larkin is an English indie rock band from Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, who formed in 2005.
Early history
In common with many bands from Leeds, Sky Larkin released ...
was released in February 2009 on Wichita Records.
A promotional tour of England, Europe and America (including an appearance at
South By Southwest
South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in m ...
Festival in Texas) took place in spring/summer 2009, and in December 2009 they toured in support of
The Cribs
The Cribs are a British indie rock band originally from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, that formed in 2001. The band consists of twins Gary and Ryan Jarman and their younger brother Ross Jarman. They were subsequently joined by ex-The Smiths guit ...
.
In 2010, the band recorded follow up to their debut and released ''Kaleide'' in August, which was preceded by the single, "Still Windmills". In September 2010, the band headed out on a UK tour. Later that year the band supported
Blood Red Shoes
Blood Red Shoes are an English alternative rock duo from Brighton consisting of Laura-Mary Carter and Steven Ansell. They have released six full-length albums, '' Box of Secrets'' (2008), '' Fire Like This'' (2010), '' In Time to Voices'' (2012) ...
,
Les Savy Fav
Les Savy Fav ( ) is an American indie rock band based in New York City. Their style is influenced by art punk and post-hardcore. The group is known for the stage presence of lead singer Tim Harrington. The band is signed to Frenchkiss Records, ...
and
Frightened Rabbit
Frightened Rabbit were a Scottish indie rock band from Selkirk, formed in 2003. Initially a solo project for vocalist and guitarist Scott Hutchison, the final lineup of the band consisted of Hutchison, his brother Grant (drums), Billy Kennedy ...
in support of second single "Tiny Heist".
Following the end of the album cycle,
Harkin joined the
Wild Beasts
Wild Beasts were an English indie rock band, formed in 2002 in Kendal. They released their first single, "Brave Bulging Buoyant Clairvoyants", on Bad Sneakers Records in November 2006, and subsequently signed to Domino Records. They have rele ...
providing keyboards, drums and backing vocals on a worldwide tour. On 25 January 2012, five years to the day after the band released their first single, Doug Adams announced his amicable departure from the band. When Harkin returned from tour, Sky Larkin expanded into a four-piece, with These Monsters' Sam Pryor replacing Adams on bass, and Man Made's Nile Marr added as second guitarist. In May 2013, the band released a single, "Motto," and embarked on a tour supporting
Dutch Uncles
Dutch Uncles are an English indie pop band from Marple, England. They are known for their use of atypical time signatures within a pop context, and the androgynous vocals of frontman Duncan Wallis.
Biography
Originally from Marple, the band st ...
and
Marnie Stern
Marnie Stern (born March 18, 1976) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and guitarist. She has garnered acclaim for her technical skill and tapping style of guitar play. Stern is also a current member of The 8G Band from the show ''Late Ni ...
.
Their third album "Motto" was released 16 September 2013 and a video for "Newsworthy" followed. Following the release of "Motto", Nile Marr and Sam Pryor left the band and Michael Matthews joined on bass. The album cycle concluded with the release of a video for "Carve It Out" in November 2014. Harkin has since joined the reunited
Sleater-Kinney
Sleater-Kinney ( ) is an American rock band that formed in Olympia, Washington, in 1994. The band's current lineup features Corin Tucker (vocals and guitar) and Carrie Brownstein (guitar and vocals), following the departure of longtime member ...
as a touring guitarist, keyboardist and percussionist, including an appearance on the 15 January 2015 edition of the
Late Show with David Letterman
The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the The Late Show (franchise), ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by ...
, the group's first live performance since their 2006 hiatus.
Discography
Albums
* ''
The Golden Spike
''The Golden Spike'' is the debut album by English band Sky Larkin
Sky Larkin is an English indie rock band from Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, who formed in 2005.
Early history
In common with many bands from Leeds, Sky Larkin released ...
'' (2009)
* ''Kaleide'' (2010)
* ''Motto'' (2013)
Singles
* "One of Two" 7", download and CD single (2007)
* "Molten" / "Keepsakes" 7" download and CD single (2007)
* "Swit Swoo" digital EP (2008)
* "Fossil, I" (2008)
* "Beeline" (2009), released as a
watch
A watch is a portable timepiece intended to be carried or worn by a person. It is designed to keep a consistent movement despite the motions caused by the person's activities. A wristwatch is designed to be worn around the wrist, attached by ...
* "Antibodies" (2009) cassette tape single
* "Still Windmills" (2010)
* "Tiny Heist EP" (2010)
* "Motto" (2013)
* "Newsworthy" (2013)
References
External links
Official websiteWichita Recordings page for Sky LarkinSky Larkin on MySpace
{{Authority control
Musical groups established in 2005
Wichita Recordings artists
Indie rock groups from Leeds